Upgrading to new tank

[Kelp23]

Hi everyone, as I now have lots of platies (and have literally just found another fry) I've just purchased a new tank. I'm going from a 35L to 110L. I'm just wondering which is the best way to transfer everything and the best way to landscape it.
I've got gravel and live plants at the moment so do I take those out first and plant the new tank before filling and leave my fish in the old tank? Not sure if the best way to do it with minimal upheaval. Also can I have a mixture of sand and gravel?

Any suggestions/recommendations will be gratefully received.

 

[Essjay]

Will you be keeping the 35 litre running, perhaps as a fry tank?

Gravel and sand is not a good idea. The sand will end up on the bottom with the gravel on top.

 

[utahfish]

Take the fish out and put them in a bucket. If you can run the filter and heater in the bucket then that would be helpful. After fish have been moved make sure all equipment is off and then tranfer gravel and plants. Id take gravel out and put it in a bucket and rinse it as well as its going to be gross from uprooting plants and dusturbing it. As always use dechlorinator when refilling. May need to wait a while for new tank water to settle, if have another filter that would help. Good luck!

 

[Kelp23]

I'm not sure. I was thinking I might keep it and put my male platies in there so they don't keep reproducing.

 

[Kelp23]

I think I might keep my original tank. Buy new gravel and use some of my plants from original tank. If then then do a water change on my original tank and use the tank water in my new tank and top up with dechlorinated water is that correct and better for the fish or should I just start with with new water altogether?

 

[Essjay]

Unless the old tank has been neglected and the water is now very different from your tap water, just use all new tap water.

I upgraded a few years ago; the new tank went in a different place from the old one. All I did was to set up the new tank with new substrate and new heater as the tank was bigger, moved all the decor over then caught the fish and put them into a container of old tank water to carry them into the other room, then gently emptied the container into the new tank. So I did use a bit of old water but very little.
I also moved the filter over at the same time. If your bigger tank needs a bigger filter, just replace some of the new filter's media with the old media.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

New water all together. That’s the best way IMO. There is no such thing as “to much clean water”.

(If you have a filter cartridge, you can instant cycle the new the tank)

 

[Kelp23]

It's a totally different filter but I do regular water changes so my current tank is clean anyway.

 

[Essjay]

You still need to move the filter into the new tank and run both filters for at least 6 weeks. Moving decor over, and especially live plants, will also help.

 

[Kelp23]

You still need to move the filter into the new tank and run both filters for at least 6 weeks. Moving decor over, and especially live plants, will also help.

I can't do that, on both tank's the filter is part of the tank itself so I can't transfer them. If I can I'll use the sponges from my original filter and put them in the new filter. I guess that's better than nothing?

 

[Essjay]

Yes, any media that you can persuade into the new filter is good. Scissors are very useful for persuading sponges to fit

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I'm not sure. I was thinking I might keep it and put my male platies in there so they don't keep reproducing.

It doesn't work that way with platies or other livebearers I'm afraid. Once a female has been kept with a male, she can store sperm and keep using it to produce fry for months, some have said even up to a year, so removing the males won't stop the fry from coming.

 

[Desperado070]

Buy a new filter and leave it in the old tank running for atleast two weeks.
This way enough bacteria have settled on the new filter so you have "some" bacteriä in your new tank.
Otherwise you gonna have fish in cycle, and I don't have to explain you that that is "bad".

The best way of doing things? Fishless cycle...

Second best? What I said as first...
You still gonna have a mini spike but at-least not as bad as fish in cycle.
I always cycle me tanks in about 9 days with a bottle of bacteria and pure NH3 powder. (97%)
The beauty from that is that there is never a spike when you put the fish in, full stock to since you can calculate that with the NH3 you put in.

 

[Essjay]

A fishless cycle is an alternative, I agree. But moving all the filter media from the old tank is quicker

 

[Kelp23]

Buy a new filter and leave it in the old tank running for atleast two weeks.
This way enough bacteria have settled on the new filter so you have "some" bacteriä in your new tank.
Otherwise you gonna have fish in cycle, and I don't have to explain you that that is "bad".

The best way of doing things? Fishless cycle...

Second best? What I said as first...
You still gonna have a mini spike but at-least not as bad as fish in cycle.
I always cycle me tanks in about 9 days with a bottle of bacteria and pure NH3 powder. (97%)
The beauty from that is that there is never a spike when you put the fish in, full stock to since you can calculate that with the NH3 you put in.

I don't have the option of moving filters between tanks as they are incorporated into the tanks themselves. I'll be moving rocks, all live plants etc and I'll put my old filter media into the new filter. Hopefully this will help.